Earlier this week, Jets coach Rex Ryan seemed taken aback by all the fuss made after he said Mark Sanchez would be the starter “this week” against the Colts at MetLife Stadium. Some made the assumption that next week’s starter is contingent on how well Sanchez plays today, as the Jets try to end a two-game losing streak.
That’s not what Ryan was suggesting, and despite four years of dealing with the New York media he was still puzzled by the brushfire it created.
“He’s our starting quarterback and it doesn’t change,” Ryan said. “It’s amazing though how things take off.”
Ryan shouldn’t be shocked. It’s part of what the Jets signed up for when they brought in Tim Tebow and his media madness. Questions about Sanchez’s job security aren’t going to go away as long as the Jets are struggling and he is completing just 48 percent of his passes with a quarterback rating of 66.6. The scrutiny and calls for a quarterback change figure to increase if Sanchez is outplayed today by Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.
As much confidence as Ryan has shown in Sanchez, this could be a worst-case scenario if the Jets lose and Sanchez is outplayed by the first-round pick from Stanford. It will be hard for Ryan to stand by his quarterback if the Jets fall to 2-4 and Sanchez doesn’t look like a quarterback in charge of his franchise the way Luck is in charge of his.
It’s wasn’t long ago when the Jets played the Colts and they were hoping Sanchez would hold his own against Peyton Manning. As a veteran, he’s expected to be better than Luck. If he isn’t, maybe Sanchez’s luck has run out.
Of course, all that skepticism goes away for the moment if the Jets win today, which is all Sanchez has focused on.
“Winning changes a lot and losing is no fun,” he said earlier this week.
He does appreciate the faith Ryan has shown in him and said he isn’t worried about losing his job.
“I’m going out there trying to find completions and help this team win and doing anything I can do,” Sanchez said. “I’m not worried about that.”
What else can he say? He knows Jets fans are restless. There was a sprinkling of boos when he re-entered Monday night’s game against the Texans after Tebow took field to run a couple of Wildcat plays. Those boos figure to increase if things go bad against the Colts, a team the Jets must beat to keep their season from collapsing.
All that has gone wrong with the Jets hasn’t been his fault. He lost his best receiver Santonio Holmes for the season to a foot injury; tight end Dustin Keller, who returns today, has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury; and the running game hasn’t been productive.
But a quarterback is measured by wins and losses, and Luck coming to town with a better completion percentage (54.2 percent) and quarterback rating (77.1) only underscores Sanchez’s struggles this year.
The Colts (2-2) already have matched their win total of a year ago and are coming off a 30-27 upset of the Packers. They also are inspired by their head coach Chuck Pagano, who is battling leukemia.
“I think as a team we’ve gotten better each week,” said Luck, who has completed 96 of 177 for 1,208 yards with seven TDs and five interceptions. “Personally, I think I’ve gotten better each week, and that’s a good sign. I think we haven’t played perfect football by any means. We’ll still continue to try and get better and get to that point. I think as long as we’re improving and hopefully getting wins, then we’re on the right track.”
After just four games, the Colts are certain they have their franchise quarterback for the future. With Sanchez in his fourth year, the Jets can’t say the same.
george.willis@nypost.com